Fastener



E. M. WATKINS.

FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-21,1919.

1,398,288. v Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

nnivtonn 1n. wernnvs or memos, NEW JERSEY.

FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 21, 1919. Serial No. 339,596.

To all whom it may. concern:

Be it known that l, EDMOND M. l/VATKINs, acitizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, in the oountyof Mercer and State of New Jersey, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Fasteners, of which the followin is a specification.

This invention relates to clasps or fasteners and more particularly to that type of these devices which is adapted for use in this connection with garters or other articles of apparel and has as its object the provision of a fastener which is simple and durable in construction, which is so constructed to insure the wearer against accidental opening of the clamping members and which by reason of its simplicity of structure may be economically manufac tured. A further object of the invention is the provision of a fastener which is readily operable and may be quickly engaged and disengaged from a garment and by reason of its construction will not tear or pull the threads of the garment it engages.

Articles of this type are well known in the art and it is the object of my invention to improve upon these, more particularly in the means for holding the clamping members in apparel engaging position. My device consists broadly of two jaws hingedly connected and provided with a stud and socket cooperating therewith to hold the jaws in closed position.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 have shown several forms which my invention may take, but it should be understood that such variations may be made in these embodiments of my invention as come within the scope of the claims appended to this specification. In these drawings Figure l is a plan view showing the fastener opened up.

Figure 2 is an edge elevational View.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view.

Figure t is a view showing the aw pro vided with the socket member with the top of the housing removed disclosing a modified form of stud retaining structure.

Figure 5 is a View of the blank from which the jaw provided with the s cket member is formed.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view showing a modified form of socket structure, the top wall of the housing being removed.

Figure 7 is a viewsimilar to Figure 6 showing a still further modified form of socket structure, and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view of the socket member shown in Figurel with the top wall of the housing removed.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, 10 indicates a loop to which are hinged two provided at their jaws 1 and 2, both being ends with enlargements 3 having attached thereto serrated garment or apparel enga mg pads 4:. l b

As will be observed, the jaws are hingedly' bent inwardly and serves to normally maintain the two jaws in the separated position shown in Figure 2.

In order to retain the jaws in closed and operatlve position, the jaw 2 is provided with a stud 9 which serves to cooperate with a socket member comprising a housing 11 formed integral with the jaw 1. The two aws may be made from any suitable material and in the present instance are shown as spring metal, the jaws being died out to the form indicated.

Referring more particularly to the 1, it will be observed that intermediate its ends 1t is provided with laterally extendingwings 12, 13, adapted to be bent over to the position shown in Figure 1 to form the housing 11 of the socket member.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 8, the socket member comprises two openings 14 and 15, the-latter being formed by twomeets ing semi-circular recesses 16, 17, in the abutting edges of the wings 12 and 13. Through the latter opening is adapted to project the stud 9 to be engaged by suitable stud retaining means which in th present instance is shown as comprising two arms 19 pivoted about a common fulcrum in the form of a pintle 20, seated in the opening 20 in the jaw. The arms are shown as being provided with end loops or fingers 21 which engage the stud projecting through the opening 15 and are held in stud engaging position by means of a spring 22 shown in this form of mv device as being in the shape of a split ring 22, the meeting ends of which engage each of the fingers at the points where they Patented Nov. as, reel.

join the body of the retaining arms The ders engage the" fastener housing adjacent the opening 24, and thus limit the pivotal movement of the retaining arms. In order to ermitthe releasing of the stud from the,

grasp ofthe retaining arms, I provide stud releasers 23 pro ecting through openings as in the socket member housing and while .L have shown these releasers as being formed integral with the retaining arms it should be understood that the construction might be readily modified by having the releasers as separate members.

When the jaws are closed itis not necessary to press the stud releasers 23, as the retaining arms are pressed apart when the stud 9. is wedged between their fingers 21, but in order to open the jaws and in order to guard against accidental disengagement of the stud and its socket, I have so constructed my fastener that it is necessary to press the releasers 23.

In Figure e'the modified form of socket member is substantially similar to that shown in Figure 8 and comprises the stud retaining arms 19, but I have shown a modification in the means for holding the arms in stud engaging position, the means in the present instance comprising two curved springs 25 whose ends lie against the side walls of the housing and raised center portions abut the fingers of the retaining arms.

The modification of the socket shown in 1* igure 6, I have found to be sometimes desir able, and it comprises a short stud or pintle 26 about which is looped a wire spring having two substantially parallel portions 27 adapted to form retaining arms for the stud and being bent at points 28 laterally in opposite directions to project throiwh openings 29 in the housin The parallel portions 27 are held in the slightly spaced relation shown in Figure Gso that the stud 9 may be wedged therebetween by means of a ton us 42 struck no from the 'aw 1 ad'acent the opening 14. At points 30, the spring is bent so as to fo m two parallel portions which at the other ends of the openings 29 are bent inwardly into the casing. In this manner 1 form from a single piece of wire, stud retaining arms and releasers which in Op r n re very effective,

The modification shown in Figure 7 resembles somewhat the preferred form shown in Figure 8, but it is to be observed that in Figure 8 while the arms are pivoted in the same plane in Figure 7 they are pivoted one above the other about a common fulcrum 32.

' extending Each of these arms33 is provided with curved stud engaging fingers 34i-and with; oppositely stud releasers 35 projecting through the usual openings in the housing. The arms are urged by means of a spring 36 to engage the stud and are not permitted to come to entirely closed positionandthus prevent the wedging of the stud between their fingers, by shoulders 37 which engage the interiorof the housing adjacent the releaser openings.

From a casual reading of the above specig fication, it willbe observed that by the construction described in which I have shown several embodiments of my invention, there is.provided an unusually effective fastener which is not liable to be'unintentionally or accidentally opened and which by reason of its extremely simple structure is entirely durable and economical to manufacture.

What I claim is r 1. A fastener comprising jaws hingedly connected, one of said jaws having a stud and the other of said jaws being provided with a socket member, said socket member comprising a housing, pivoted stud retaining arms in said housing, a pintle in the housing servingas a common fulcrum for said arms, and stud releasers extending from said housin I i i j 2. A fastener comprising a pair of jaws hingedly connected, a stud on one of said jaws, an integral housing on the other of said jaws having an opening therein forsaid stud, pivotally movable stud engaging arms in said housing, a common fulcrum for said arms, and stud releasing means integral with said arms extending from the housing.

3. A fastener comprising apair o'f jaws hingedly connected, a stud on one of said jaws, an integral housing on the other of said jaws having an opening therein for said stud, pivotally movable stud engaging arms in said housing, a common fulcrum for said arms, a spring in the form of arsplit ring: holding said arms in stud grasping position, and stud releasing means integral with said arms extending from the housing.

e. A fastener comprising a pair of jaws hingedly connected, a stud on one of said jaws, the other of said jaws having a body portion, lateral extensions on said body por tion bent upwardly and over said body portion to form an integral housing, said housing having an opening therein for said stud, pivotally movable stud engaging arms in said housing, a common fulcrum for said arms, and stud releasing means integral with said arms extending from the housing.

Intestimony whereof I have hereunto 'set my hand.

EDMOND M. WATKINS. 

